FOUR years after I first raised the possibility of a Dublin Olympic bid, we are still no nearer the start of a rational debate on whether, this city is capable of staging the world's greatest sporting event.
On the one hand we now have two independent reports compiled for the Dublin International Sports Council (DISC) which conclude that Dublin can mount, a credible bid - on the other a single shred of empirical evidence against the idea has yet to be produced.
The latest report was put together by 12 working groups comprising some of Ireland's most prominent business and sporting leaders who investigated in considerable detail every aspect of a potential bid from finance to marketing, transport and security.
At the very least their conclusions merit serious consideration, but the sceptics' response has amounted to little more than vulgar abuse and trivialising of an issue which could be of great sporting, social and economic benefit. Having suffered 25 years of negative promotion because of the violence on this island, it is past time that the country encouraged positive promotion which can impact internationally.
In another of his knocking articles in The Irish Times on Saturday last, entitled "39 Steps To Olympic Fiasco", Tom Humphries quotes Irish Olympic Council president Pat Hickey as saying "Dublin could not provide the toilet facilities for an Olympic Games". This is as ludricous as is unhelpful. This sort of derision has gone on for too long.
Mr Humphries says that Ireland can't get the games because of the climate. Then he says London can get them because of a favour the city did the Olympic Council in 1948. He talks about pecking orders as if decisions for the Olympics, as far away as 2016, have already been made.
Then he refers to the possibility of humiliation from being forced to withdraw a bid. For sportsmen, and women in any sphere there is nothing more destructive than fear of failure. Perhaps he could take a lesson from the people whose endeavours he writes about to earn his living.
In an Irish Times interview, last Thursday, Mr Hickey misquotes me to pour more scorn on a possible bid saying I argued that by hosting the Papal visit and the Eurovision, Ireland was capable of staging the games. "There's a big difference between having 500,000 people standing in a field in the Phoenix Park and staging the Olympics," he says.
Mr Hickey is twisting the argument beyond recognition. He is entitled to oppose a bid but, why can't he address the real issues and arguments, such as those contained in the two reports?
Mr Hickey asks why I have been unable to influence my Government colleagues to underwrite a bid. I am confident that whoever is in power, if and when the time comes, will address this issue. It farcical to raise such a question at the very outset.
THROUGHOUT the last four years politicians of all hues have been more positive than any other group in supporting the notion of an Olympic bid. The country's, mandated leaders should now examine this possibility seriously.
This could be done by a full parliamentary examination of all the arguments for and against a bid, including those contained in the DISC reports, to be carried out by a relevant Dail committee. This would result in a report being compiled which would enable the Dail to debate the matter.
Another possibility could be to ask a panel of former Taoisigh to examine the facts. Much of the sniping on the subject of a bid has, come from armchair politicians and it is far too important to be left in their hands.
The few valid, if flippantly put, points made in both these articles are on the issues of adequate sporting facilities and finance. There is no doubt that we must overcome enormous challenges if we are ever to make a successful bid for the games.
But, as the latest DISC report states, the sporting community and the private and public sector are currently devising a long term strategy for the development of Irish sport. This includes the development of our sporting infrastructure through investigating new approaches in design, planning and finance and the widereaching benefits such facilities can bring to a region.
"What is clear is that we are on a cross roads and we cannot let the inadequacies of the past to continue to dictate the way forward," the report adds.
A definite list of facilities is required for various sports regardless of an Olympic bid. But temporary venues and seating will suffice for many of the events as has happened in previous host cities of the games. As it happens, Croke Park will have a 25 per cent greater seating capacity than the main stadium for the Barcelona games.
On finance, the latest report says that all operational and some capital costs will be met through, Olympic marketing programmes, including broadcasting rights, merchandising and sponsorship. Other capital expenditure to host the games is contained in already nationally budgeted infrastructural developments.
As with Barcelona, an Irish Olympics would be used as a catalyst for integrated planning, urban renewal and the promotion of "Ireland Inc" which would have considerable social and economic benefits far into the post Olympic, period.
The direct economic impact of an Irish games has been estimated at £925 million with the creation of 19,000 jobs, excluding the huge indirect impact on Ireland in the period after the event. Bernard Allen TD has stated that the DISC report is worthy of serious consideration and he is Minister for Sport.
Could we now please have a serious debate on a serious issue? If the argument against a bid then wins the day, so be it. All the facts, so far produced, indicate a credible bid is a real possibility.
